Contents:
- Medical Video: Depression: The Male Silent Killer
- Women are twice the risk for depression than men
- Why are women more depressed than men?
- 1. Genetic factors
- 2. Puberty
- 3. Menstruation
- 4. Period of pregnancy
- 5. Perimenopause (before menopause)
- 6. Environmental influences
- How do you deal with depression in women?
Medical Video: Depression: The Male Silent Killer
Almost everyone has been sad. Whether it's because of a conflict with a partner, the death of a family member, to something else that might be more trivial like getting a bad grade at school. Sad is a natural emotional response when you face difficult times. But this is where you have to start being careful. Continuous sadness and more and more can lead to depression.
Everyone can experience depression, but the unique mental illness is more attacking women than men. What causes depression in women?
Women are twice the risk for depression than men
Depression is characterized by worsening moods, feelings, stamina, appetite, sleep patterns, and concentration levels of sufferers that last for at least six months or more.
Depression can greatly limit your function as a human being. Mood changes caused by depression are so intense that they cause despair, anxiety, and helplessness. In fact, depression can trigger an unwillingness to continue living.
Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in society. However, the risk of women experiencing depression can be twice as high as men. Depression in women can occur earlier, longer, and is more likely to recur than depression in men.
Why are women more depressed than men?
Anyone can get depressed. But in women, depression is more likely to be triggered by an event in life that makes it stressful. Studies have also found that hormonal changes are the reason women are prone to depression. In comparison, depression cases in men are generally more often affected by alcohol and drug abuse.
The following are some of the factors that make women vulnerable to depression compared to men:
1. Genetic factors
A history of family depression increases the chances of depression, both in men and women. However, studies show that life stresses experienced tend to make women more vulnerable to stress that leads to depression than men. Certain genetic mutations associated with the development of major depression also only occur in women.
2. Puberty
Puberty is a time when a child experiences changes, both physically and psychologically. Regarding depression, the study found that before puberty, boys and girls both tended to experience depression. However, after the age of 14, women tend to be twice as susceptible to depression.
3. Menstruation
Hormonal changes before menstruation can cause drastic mood changes (mood swing) which often accompanies PMS pain. This is considered reasonable.
But there is a more severe form of PMS mood swing, called Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). Women who are affected by PMDD even have a greater tendency to experience depression until they attempt suicide, even though their menstruation is complete.
Reporting from WebMD, women who have this disorder generally have very low levels of serotonin. In the body, the hormone serotonin controlsmood, emotions, sleep patterns, and pain. Hormone levels can indeed be unbalanced before or during menstruation. However, it is unclear why the serotonin hormone in certain women can drop dramatically during menstruation.
4. Period of pregnancy
Pregnancy is not easy, because during this process there will be hormonal changes that can trigger changes mood or depression in women.
Hormonal and genetic changes during this time also make women more susceptible to interference mood, like depression. Even after giving birth, women are also prone to experience baby bluesand postpartum depression which can make it difficult for a woman to undergo her new role as a mother, including in caring for her baby.
5. Perimenopause (before menopause)
Some women are prone to depression after childbirth or during the transition to menopause. Fluctuations in reproductive hormone levels in the years leading up to or during menopause can trigger symptoms of depression in older women.
6. Environmental influences
Other factors that can also make women vulnerable to depression are environmental factors, especially related to the role of women as mothers, wives, and children for their parents. Non-playful efforts to balance these three roles often make women vulnerable to chronic stress which can trigger depression.
Some studies show that women may be more likely to reflect on the past, the good and the bad, than men. This makes women vulnerable to anxiety disorders.
How do you deal with depression in women?
No need to be embarrassed to ask for help to deal with your depression. Depression is not a sign of unhappiness or character disability. Depression is not a natural condition found such as stress or panic. Like physical illness, mental illness also requires proper treatment.
To treat depression, you should consult a doctor to find out the exact cause and treatment. Some methods that can be used to treat depression include using antidepressant drugs, or through psychotherapy counseling such as CBT.
Changes in a healthy lifestyle, one of them with regular exercise, can also help relieve symptoms of depression. You have the right to live a healthy and happy life.
Ribbon Run is a fundraising event organized by the i3L Student Executive Body (Indonesia International Institute for Life Sciences), which aims to create awareness and change public perceptions of depression and mental illness. The Ribbon Run will be held at The Breeze, BSD City on September 9, 2018. To find out more information about this event, you can directly visit the Ribbon Run official website here.
